Join us on Friday afternoon at our assembly for two enlightening sessions, each offering a diverse lineup of workshops designed to empower and educate. Our workshops, each 45 minutes long with a fifteen-minute break in between, promise to enrich your ministry and personal faith journey. Workshop sessions are scheduled to being at 3:45 and 4:45 pm.

LAMA (Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Arizona)

Solveig Muus and Autumn Byars
Preschool Rooms 11-12

Join Solveig Muus, director of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Arizona (LAMA) and Autumn Byars, GCS Hunger Advocacy Fellow, for an update on the Synod's advocacy efforts. Solveig and Autumn will introduce participants to LAMA and share about the work that their network is doing with Lutheran communities across the state around advocacy and education. "The guiding principle for our work is our call to love and serve our neighbor as Jesus did, and where possible, we work toward systemic change" Solveig said. "LAMA's mission is to join with the most vulnerable of our society to voice our common needs in the public square, activating our faith in love." Learn about LAMA's annual Lutheran Day at the Legislature, the GCS Hunger Leaders Network, the Arizona Anti-Hunger Alliance, LAMA's annual Summit, Action Alerts, Arizona's Request to Speak (RTS) system, and more. In 2024, LAMA's policy priorities are Hunger, Water and Civic Engagement.

Getting Your House in Order

Pastor Steve Talmage
Center of Compassion Room 50

Want to be a blessing to those who follow after us? One of the best gifts we can give family or friends is having our house in order when we die. This is not having our physical home neat and clean. This is having our funeral/memorial/celebration of life service planned; our will/estate and financial affairs updated and accessible; securing appropriate and necessary Powers of Attorney; engaging in conversation with our loved ones about what we truly want to pass on spiritually and materially; and intentionally planning for ways to continue to support the mission of Christ and the Church after we are dead. This practical, straight-forward invitation may make all the difference between whether your loved ones bless your name and the Lord you follow or not. If you are a rostered minister or a congregational leader the resources shared can be adapted to your local context as well as help plant the seed of final stewardship of our lives and legacy giving.

Toddler Time Outreach

Deacon Laura Book
Center of Compassion Narthex

Come explore alternative ways to be church with some of God’s newest creations. Learn how to build intergenerational connections between church members and neighboring families. Examine parenting styles and trends that impact families and church participation. Dance and play in a parent-toddler mock class and take home themed lesson plans. Bring an open mind and a playful heart.

Military Chaplaincy: Combatting Moral Injury

Chaplain Matt Dobyns
Center of Compassion Youth Room 51

What exactly does a military chaplain do? What does a day in the life of a military chaplain look like? What is the difference between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Moral Injury? How can my congregation support military members and their families? Join Chaplain Matt Dobyns to hear the answers to these and other questions you may have pertaining to military life and military chaplaincy.

“HANDS-ON CHURCH PHYSICAL???!!!”

Congregational Vitality Team
Outreach Room 13-14

Information can change your life-expectancy and vitality!

For your last physical exam, tests and vital signs were taken and evaluated. Then your doctor gave you the big picture and focused on any areas that needed improvement to increase your health. A sign in the doctor's office reads: "Making excuses burns zero calories!"

Information can also change the life-expectancy and vitality of your congregation! What information would you need to look at to increase the vitality of your congregation? Even with the vitality of congregations, "Making excuses changes nothing!"

Come and learn more about another option! May include a new idea or two!

Telling Your (Faith) Story – Pr. Tina Mills

Telling Your (Faith) Story – Pr. Tina Mills
Leadership Room 39

Our lives revolve around story. A simple question about your day often results in a story about it. The person cutting you off in traffic evokes a story about that person, "Jerk!". Commercials work best when they tell a story. Pictures are worth 1000 words because you create a story in your head about it. You are already a storyteller. It is also true that God is acting in your life. We will explore how you see God acting in your life, so that you can put that into the stories you already tell.

Gift Planning – Lisa Higginbotham (ELCA)

Gift Planning – Lisa Higginbotham (ELCA)
Preschool Room

Join Lisa Higginbotham, Regional Gift Planner and Certified Fund Raising Executive to discuss how and why planned gifts can be the most impactful gifts received by your congregation but are the least discussed! Talking about death and money can be uncomfortable! In this session, we will cover planned giving basics, uncover obstacles, and share best practices to get your planned giving programming started! Have a campaign going already? We can talk about how to layer planned giving into your existing programs. Many resources will be shared and in partnership with your Synod, cost your congregation nothing!